I was set on going to ICO, but recently got accepted to OSU, so I need some help in finalizing my decision. I don't know too much about Ohio state, so I was hoping people can post pros and cons for OSU and ICO
I fell in love with Ohio's school, but I love the city of Chicago! Please help meeee

I go to ICO and really have nothing bad to say about it at all, I think the school is fantastic, though I've never been to OSU, so can't really make a comparison. So if you really love both schools, the question is probably more about if you'd rather be in Chicago or Columbus.

If you have any specific questions about ICO, I'd be happy to answer them.

I really loved ICO when I went to interview. I was accepted there, but had to turn them down because I couldn't justify the tuition after being accepted to an in-state school with cheaper tuition. If you can afford it then I would say to go with their school.

OSU has a lot of faculty from Berkeley and they set a high standard. Winters are milder than Chicago. (See a weather web site for annual averages.) You should also consider the school's location and safety. OSU is quite safe. ICO is in a pretty sketchy area of Chicago. Also compare tuition. Based on what I know, I'd go with OSU.

Do either OSU or ICO offer in-state tuition to non-residents, i.e., help non-resident students gain residency like Berkeley does? Or are non-resident students kind of stuck paying out-of-state tuition the entire 4 years of school?

Do either OSU or ICO offer in-state tuition to non-residents, i.e., help non-resident students gain residency like Berkeley does? Or are non-resident students kind of stuck paying out-of-state tuition the entire 4 years of school?

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ICO is a private institution so there is no in state or out of state tuition, just one tuition for everyone.

OSU has a lot of faculty from Berkeley and they set a high standard. Winters are milder than Chicago. (See a weather web site for annual averages.) You should also consider the school's location and safety. OSU is quite safe. ICO is in a pretty sketchy area of Chicago. Also compare tuition. Based on what I know, I'd go with OSU.

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Clarification: ICO is *near* a sketchy area of Chicago, it is not *in* a sketchy area of Chicago. Because once upon a time, ICO decided that patient care and clinical education was the most important thing, so ICO was built near the communities in the most need of affordable eye care. As a result, our patient base is diverse and full of interesting cases. Our patients are also incredibly appreciative of what we do in the community.

ICO is also on Michigan Ave, so a short 10 minute train ride to downtown Chicago's Loop, one stop away from the upscale South Loop neighborhood, and a short walk away from the White Sox stadium.

Going to school at ICO, you can live wherever you want to live, too. Live in the nicest area of Chicago if you want. ICO is conveniently located enough to commute to from almost anywhere in the city.

And lastly, here's just a little bit of straight talk: ICO probably has its reputation of being in a sketchy area because it's in a predominately black community. A lot of people are afraid to come out here just because of that. I think we all ought to check ourselves and see where our fears are justified and where they are not.

Clarification: ICO is *near* a sketchy area of Chicago, it is not *in* a sketchy area of Chicago. Because once upon a time, ICO decided that patient care and clinical education was the most important thing, so ICO was built near the communities in the most need of affordable eye care. As a result, our patient base is diverse and full of interesting cases. Our patients are also incredibly appreciative of what we do in the community.

ICO is also on Michigan Ave, so a short 10 minute train ride to downtown Chicago's Loop, one stop away from the upscale South Loop neighborhood, and a short walk away from the White Sox stadium.

Going to school at ICO, you can live wherever you want to live, too. Live in the nicest area of Chicago if you want. ICO is conveniently located enough to commute to from almost anywhere in the city.

And lastly, here's just a little bit of straight talk: ICO probably has its reputation of being in a sketchy area because it's in a predominately black community. A lot of people are afraid to come out here just because of that. I think we all ought to check ourselves and see where our fears are justified and where they are not.

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Thank you Rain Clouds, I always appreciate your help. My fault on the "noob" question about ICO's in-state vs. out-of-state thing, I did know it was a private institution "once upon a time" but in the past few weeks have been researching schools so heavily (sometimes the same one over and over again repeatedly without realizing it because of just being overwhelmed lol) that it slipped my mind.

And also, about ICO's location, as well as other schools': Generally in terms of location, schools follow the business model of minimizing costs, which is entirely understandable and makes perfect sense. Thus, usually the locations they pick produce the best cost:location ratio (if you can quantify location), i.e., their costs for the facilities in a specific place is lowest where they are (in general). Now, this just happens to be in "shady"/"sketchy" areas as people put it. Poverty is a crippling thing and as Rain Clouds said, ICO's patients are grateful for what the school does in the community. Statistically, an area with higher crime rates does say something, but realistically, we're not immune to crime no matter where we are.